Effect of Early Spanking

Keona has been growing really fast. She is a fast learner. You teach her today, keep repeating it...and she'll never forget it anymore. She is also becoming very curious. She would want to touch anything that interests her.

There are times when hubby raises his voice because Keona sometimes doesn't follow a simple "No". And I reminded hubby that he should not spank our baby or raise his voice when disciplining our child. I remember in my child psychology subject way back in college that the most important thing is to let the child understand why he is being spanked. If she doesn't understand, she'll develop hatred towards people who spanked her.

In an article that i have read in a newspaper, a research shows that children who are spanked as 1-year olds are more likely to behave aggressively and perform worse on cognitive tests as toddlers than children who are spared the punishment. Though the negative effects of spanking were "modest", the study adds the growing body of literature that spanking is not good for chldren.


Age 1 is key time for establishing the quality of the parenting and the relationship between parent and child according to a research scientist. Spanking at age 1 reflects a negative dynamic and increase children's aggression at age two.